THAT DAY

On December 9, 1967, Jim Morrison, who had just celebrated his 24th birthday the day before, was arrested on stage during a THE DOORS concert in the city of New Haven, Connecticut.

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As the band begins the track "Back Door Man", Jim in a long monologue recounts how moments earlier, while spending time backstage with a young woman, was then mistaken for a fan and had had tear gas sprayed in the face by a member of the Local Police.

Let's go back to this event in the history of the group:

Shortly before going on stage, Jim Morrison, accompanied by a young girl, took refuge in the backstage showers to chat for a while. Taken for an ill-intentioned spectator by a policeman who bursts into the room and does not recognize the famous singer of the Doors, Jim ends up after a small altercation by being sprayed with irritant gas in the face.

Morrison then goes on stage, his eyes still watery. The concert proceeds normally until the track "Back Door Man". Right in the middle of the piece, Jim stops singing and stops short. A fairly usual thing when the young singer devotes himself to long poetic improvisations.

...But this time Jim challenges the crowd:

"Hey New Haven right? Are we in New Haven, Connecticut here? I'm going to tell you a little story that happened a few minutes ago in this charming town of New Haven."

The attentive crowd then begins to stir...

"I was quietly in the showers with a girl. No, we weren't doing anything, we were talking. When suddenly there's this little guy with his little blue cap and his little blue uniform who arrives. "What are you do it?", he does it to me! Nothing, I tell him! so he pushed me and then I pushed him too. And then he searched his back, he took out a small canister and in his eyes , he threw it at me!"

It's too much! The local police intervene, seize Jim Morrison, handcuff him and declare him under arrest for incitement to riot, indecent and obscene behavior. The crowd revolts! In total there will be 13 other arrests before the public returns to the city in peace.

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In the early hours of December 10, 1967, Jim Morrison was heard by New Haven Police Department after his arrest at the Doors concert that had taken place in town 48 hours prior. Morrison was charged with giving a lewd performance, disturbing public order as well as attempting to resist arrest.

He was released after posting $1,500 bail. The lewd performance charges and resisting arrest charges were later dropped. The $1,500 bond was withheld, however, when Morrison refused to appear in court to face the public order charge.